The Jets Signing Randall Cobb Signals 2 Teams In Very Different Positions
New expectations for a Packers team in transition
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In a not so shocking move earlier this morning the Jets signed former Packer wide receiver Randall Cobb.
I think this is something all of us Packers fans saw coming… :(
Earlier this off-season when news began to come out about Rodgers intention of signing with the New York Jets, rumors about the Jets being interested in players like Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis began to circulate.
Before Rodgers had decided that he no longer wanted to be in Green Bay there were certain things that he mentioned as important that would impact his decision of returning to Green Bay in 2023. One of these was his desire to keep the veterans around.
Guys like David Bakhtiari, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis. Rodgers didn’t want to come back to a team that he felt didn’t have the necessary pieces to compete for a title. You can’t blame him. He didn’t want to be part of a rebuild. For a guy who only has a few years left you’d hope to have a chance of competing for a title each and every year. Rodgers wanted the foundation of 2022 to remain in place if he were to return. With Rodgers leaving the Packers it’s no surprise that many of the veteran free agents also made their exit from Green Bay.
While Randall Cobb’s best years are behind him he is still a dependable piece that can be a contributor to the New York Jets offense.
The risk with Cobb is whether or not he will stay healthy. He missed 6 games in 2020, 4 games in 2021, and 5 games in 2022. One thing you can’t take away from him no matter his age is the connection that he still has with Aaron Rodgers. Cobb spent 7 years with Aaron Rodgers from his rookie year in 2011 till he left the Packers after the 2018 season. He spent one year with Dallas and one in Houston before he reunited with Aaron Rodgers in 2021 when Rodgers made it clear that one of the stipulations for Rodgers coming back in 2021 was the Packers trading for Cobb from the Texans. Brian Gutekunst agreed to make the move because at that point he wasn’t ready to move on from Rodgers.
If that doesn’t show you just how important Randall Cobb is to Rodgers I don’t know what will. And it’s not only their on field connection. Rodgers has mentioned over the years that Cobb is one of Rodgers closest friends.
There’s no doubt that’s one of the main reasons he was brought into New York. Yes he can still put up decent production in 2023, but he is someone that Rodgers can rely on as a close friend in the Jets locker room. The Jets have done everything in their power to set up the organization to make Rodgers feel valued. Not only have they brought in Cobb, but also former teammate Allen Lazard and former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett who Rodgers has talked about glowingly for years and years. The Jets want Rodgers to be bought in completely and to feel like they have his back. So far that’s exactly what they’ve done.
This move is another sign of two teams in two very different positions.
In the Jets you have a team that feels very close to a super bowl and because of that are making veteran additions to take the team over the top. The Packers on the other hand have let their veterans go and brought in a slew of young talent specifically in last week's draft.
With Rodgers dead cap hit of $40 mil in 2023 the Packers didn’t have much of a choice. They barely have any room on the books to make moves this year. They are a team that is transitioning to a new young core of offensive playmakers. We can expect more moves to occur after the 2023 and 2024 season. Right now it’s about staying young and cheap and seeing exactly what we have in Jordan Love.
Obviously every year you hope your team can bring home the superbowl trophy and stake your claim as the best team in all of football, but every year 31 of the 32 teams don’t reach that level of success. Ever since Rodgers took over it’s felt like if it’s not a superbowl it’s a let down. When you have a QB that plays at that elite level your goal is to win it all. So it’s no surprise that even making a playoff run but not winning it all feels like falling short. We’ve had the luxury as Packers fans over the past 30 or so years to have sky high expectations each and every year. That’s what having Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre leading your team does for you.
Now for the first year in a very long time it feels like expectations have been slightly tempered by the Packers fan base.
Sure we all still hope to win the super bowl, but this year we get to see what we have in Jordan Love. You can’t hold a first year starter to the same expectations that you hold a future hall of famer like Aaron Rodgers to. There’s much less pressure on the Packers than there has been in a long time. We all recognize that we are in a transition phase and 2023 will be the first test the new look Packers have to take. In my eyes, passing the test is showing some kind of promise in 2023. They could be 7-10, 8-9, or 9-8 but show lots of promise. 2024 will really be the make or break year to see whether or not Jordan Love will continue the tradition of great play at the quarterback position.
Jordan Love doesn’t need to play like Aaron Rodgers to be considered a success. Players like Aaron Rodgers don’t grow on trees. There may never be another player exactly like Aaron Rodgers. But that doesn’t mean that a Jordan Love led team can’t have just as much or more success than Aaron Rodgers did during his time in Green Bay.
While QB play is one of the key indicators of whether your team is successful, it’s still only one part of the puzzle. Look at a team like the 49ers who have had consistent success with somewhat average QB play over the years with a guy like Jimmy Garaoplo. Now, the 49ers have had a plethora of weapons around Jimmy Garoppolo which has allowed them to consistently be one of the best in the league over recent years. You need a solid team built around your QB if you hope to have any chance of consistent success. Plus you throw in one of the best defenses in the league and you have a very solid roster.
If the Packers can sustain above average play on the offensive line and the new young weapons in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft can take it to the next level over the next few years, the Packers have a chance to be very competitive in the NFC. We also need the defense to not stink. In recent years that hasn’t always been the case. Now with lots of young first round talent on this defense Joe Barry doesn’t have much leeway if the Packers defense can’t bring it all together. The Packers have way too many talented players on defense to not be a top 10 defense in the NFL.
2023 will be a year of seeing exactly what we are dealing with and the foundation we have to build on going into 2024-2026. There’s lots of unknowns but that’s what makes these next few years exciting.